Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: jlbpa on June 05, 2007, 11:09:00 PM
-
Likely I don't sharpen a knife correctly but that aside I need a good knife that is the right size for gutting deer, chickens, and occassional squirrel. I have a Buck knife style 102 sheath knife that seems about the correct size but I can't get that as sharp as another knife I have that doesn't have stainless blade but that knife is too big for chicken and squirrels.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
-
Here is what I did to simplify my knife life:
1. Buy a QUALITY (no Chinese or Taiwan stuff) 3" to 4" drop point style knife. Since your already familiar with Buck, check out their "upgrades" with nicer steel at Cabela's (they also have lifetime sharpening if the thing get's too fargone, which is nice) **I'd suggest a fixed blade for sanitary reasons (chickens).
2. Buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker (Cabela's carries this little gem too). For $60 it will sharpen every knife,tool, scissors, and broadhead in your house. You will also learn to love knives and want to buy more because you have the ability to get dull knives shaving sharp just as easy as you please! You will also gain hero like status amongst your friends for your ability to sharpen their knives and your wife will want to repay your in a special way for her constantly sharp kitchen knives.
PS...No I am not kidding.
Jim
-
Don't know how much you want to spend. We have quite a few makers here. I would also suggest a Lil Bladie Mae from Charles May in D2 steel. You'll never need another knife.
-
jim,
I am going to take your word on that spyderco. I have stones ceramic , steels. Is this one diamond. I have no diamond.can you sharpen a 3 blade BH? :)
-
dont buy stainless knifes period.jonesy
-
geno,
The Sharpmaker "sticks" are some sort of high tech baked ceramic I think, they are actually triangular if that makes any sense. You have to see/try it to believe it. It even comes with a DVD to show you precisely how to use it (which is simple).
Yes, it does seem to do well with 3 Blades. My buddy and I worked over a 1/2 dozen rusted up Woodsman's simply by taking one of the "sticks" and running it gently across two edges at a time. They were all shaving hair after minimal work. He said he has NEVER gotten a 3 blade so sharp and he has tried everything and spent mucho $ trying over the last 30 years.
It may not have the "air" of sharpening the traditional way with an Arkansas stone, but da** it works......
-
jonesy,
I'm curious why you suggest no stainless?
I'm using VG-10, Helle's laminated steel, and D2 (I know that it's not technically stainless but it's seems close) and get EXCELLENT performance/use from them. Heck, even my Swiss Army knife serves it's purpose.
Just curious about what works for you. I'd honestly like to learn more about other steels.
Thanks,
Jim
-
I've used a Helle Polar blade for everything from squirrels to grouse, deer, elk and moose. If you're looking for a small blade, you'd be hard pressed to find one better.
Last September I used mine to skin not one but two bull moose wthout having to touch up the edge.
-
As far as chickens go my buddy's dad gets a bunch of used knives from a Tiyson chicken slaugther house. They are regular fishing filet knives. You would think they know how to cut up a chicken.
-
A folding fishing knife works good on turkeys and other birds. I'm sure it would open up a chicken without much trouble, the long slender blade is just the thing. Any knife will gut a deer if it is sharp i have been using the gut hook style as of late. But i have gutted deer with just about any kind of knife you could imagine including a fold up utility razor knife. If it's sharp it will work.
-
Take a look at Doug Campbell's knives on this site. The caper will work just fine for what you're lookin for.. And as far as keepin it sharp use a lansky sharpener. Doug uses a carbon steel blade, good stuff. I shopped around for a good knife for many years. Best knife purchase I ever made was from Doug.
-
We have a couple of knives on our site that I'm sure will suit your purpose. I used to agree with the "no stainless" until I ran into Helle knives a few years back. The laminated blades just don't act like stainless, they stay sharp and touch up with a couple of strokes on a steel.
Check it out,
Mike
http://www.dryadbows.com/helleknives/
-
If you're having trouble getting the Buck sharpened don't buy any of the high grade steel knifes folks are recommending here. The Buck knife you have has better and harder steel than most pocket knifes and that's why you are having trouble. Buck flat out has the best production knife blade steel sold. Once you get it sharp it will hold an edge better than any other production knife...it a trade off. Soft steel equals easy sharpening. High grade steel hard to sharpen but stays sharp longer. Buying a knife with VG10, ATS34, etc will only make you problem worse. After you learn to sharpen the buck then you can think about the really high end steels.
-
I have a few favorites (though I have not ever owned a Doug Campbell - and I want one!!!). For a fixed blade, the steel in the Knives of Alaska blades gets wicked sharp without too much effort, and holds it. Bear Cub and Jaeger are my prefered blade shapes. I prefer a skinny blade.
For a folder, I have an inexpensive Opinel (carbon steel, not stainless) that holds an edge well and was so inexpensive, it is comical ($12). The lock is a simple twist and the handle is comfortable.
Check them out.
-
When I forge and grind my edge, finish with Gatco system thru very fine stone & finally ceramic stone. They get so sharp almost cut your self by looking at them. Trick to get a geart edge is getting it sharp with the coarse stone First! If you don't get an edge that grabs you finger nail with the coarsest stone, you will never get it sharp...Doc
-
I can get my buck sharp enough to grab and scrape my finger nail and shave hair on the top of my hand if I pull it slightly sideways in a slicing motion and usually slice a small cut in my skin in the process. I have a course arkansas stone from a 2 stone kit I bought a long long time ago but since lost the fine stone. Now I read the arkansas stones are not so good anymore. What do I buy to finish off the sharpening to shave hair with out sliding sideways. One problem area though is the tip. Am I suppose to be able to sharpen the entire blade in one pass on the stone or is it acceptable to work on the tip separately.
-
I've had the Spyderco system for about 10 years, and I agree it is the best one I've ever used.
In fact, my job every year at deer camp is to sharpen every knife in the cabin for the owner!
Carl
-
Jlbpa, friend, you are over-complicating the whole danged thing.
A sharpened butter knife, an unhafted piece of broken rock, or shattered glass will handily gut, skin, and butcher every animal that has lived in North America for the last 20,000 years.
A Helle Polar will easily accomplish what you say you need to do.
It has a flat ground edge, not a hollow ground, so it is impossible not to be able to get it very sharp, very easily, unless you are trying to sharpen the handle.
If you get to the point where you are cutting up animals over 400 lbs, you might want to turn to a blade about 5 inches long, at least for a few parts of the process.
The whole cutting-'em-up-thing has much less to do with what tool you use (unless you use a crescent wrench or a hammer) than with the knowledge of how to do it. Just keep gaining experience and you will be taking finger-nail files to 'em.
That said, it is fun disputing whether A2 steel is better than VG-10 etc., or whether the steel is unimportant compared to the heat treating process, or a hundred other things, and spending ridiculous amounts of money on fancy knives is certainly a source of great happiness.
But for doing the 3 tasks you mention, any 2 blade broadhead works fine, takes about the same time, and is more interesting.
-
order you a Randall, fine knives :bigsmyl:
-
Jimmyc, pumamaster steele works best for me, i have an old Puma white hunter made before 1964 thats a beauty, and a Rudy Ruana that's carbon steele made from an old leaf spring, these knifes are easy to sharpen and hold an edge, helle makes a nice knife, its all in the makup/heat treatment of the steele. I have always had a problem sharpening S.S.knifes.jonesy
-
Originally posted by jonesy:
dont buy stainless knifes period.jonesy
That is a ridiculous blanket statement. Henkel, Wursthoff and Forstner/Victornox are some of the finest knives in the world and they are all stainless steel. They are used by the best chefs and butchers in the world, including Emeril and Wolfgang Puck.
Oh, and by the way I also speak from 35+ years of experience as a butcher. With knives, like most things you get what you pay for.
That Puma that you have don't ever lose it, that's a great knife too.
(http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h21/VAbowbender/Hunting/RobButchering.jpg)
-
You might want to order a Randall #26. It is a great knife. If you need an address for Randall or a Randall dealer PM me.
Good luck,
Kevin
-
Buy the best...get a Dozier ;) . How's that for a blanket statement :jumper:
The Cabellas Alaska Guide is made by buck and is S30V.
Knives of Alaska changes their steels alot without telling you except for their D-2 models. When I got the Jager I found out they switched to 1095 or something like that even thought their literature said ATS-34. I found an older one in a dealer that I think is ATS-34 which I what I wanted at the time.
One thing is for sure...you will never have enough knives :D
-
I have a KS-3 on order from Bob Dozier.
http://www.dozierknives.com/
-
Any knife Tippit makes would be best. Since I don't have one I settled for a Helle Veiderman? Something like that! :)
-
I just bought a Randy Lee. What a knife!
-
Robert, wolfgang and Emeril dont sharpen there own knifes plus they have enough money to buy the best steele money can buy What realy makes the blade live up to all of its potential is the temper, or hardening and toughening process that the blade is subjected too.Stainless steels do not give reliable color readings due to oxide formation at lower temp levels wich enables the knifemaker to read the hardness level of the steele. The best steel for knifes are damascus and straight carbon steel such as 1040,1060,1095 the only draw back is this steel tarnishes and will rust if not properly cared for, but i for one will sacrifice a little fashion for inconvenience. HEY CAN I GET ONE OF THOSE ROAST'S? Jonesy
-
Yes, I don't want to just throw money at a problem. I was able to fumble through processing a chicken with 2 knives. A kitchen boning knife which I sharpened but turns out not well enough so I had to turn to my benchmade folding knife to cut around the butthole and slit open the belly. But when trying to reach in and slice the esophogus the bench made handle was too bulky so I had to hack my way through the esophogus with the kitchen knife. That's when it occurred to me that I need one good knife. The Doug Cambell's caper and the helle polar both look functional. Something with a sharp pointed tip is needed for cutting around chicken buttholes. I'm not sure the buck knife was designed for a sharp pointed tip.
-
I cook better than both those guys. I just wish I got paid like them.. Mike brow was right. All the big plants use a fillet type knife. Tyson, Butterball, Cargill. ect....They are probably stainlees though..I like high carbon...Is that Lamb??
-
I can't say whats best... However, whitetails aren't big critters... and going from the field to the table... I think the knife really matters, cause at each step, I find that my needs vary so much... I don't know of a best one (but best ones)overall, but here's my way of doing it... They to each knife is being SHARP!!!
I've field dressed deer with everything from a victronix swiss army key chain knife- to using a K-Bar. (these are in the pack/pocket knives)
My favorite is an old boker (high carbon) gentlemans 2 blade knife... That would hold an edge!!! made th job go easy (but I lost it, time to replace it)
However butchering/quartering and deboning; is different work altogether... for that I use a couple of cheap boning knives (bought at a dollar store- these are usually at camp/truck where I hang the deer and proceed to to render into pieces managable enough to put on ice in the cooler) to get my deer into parts and then go to the Zwilling J.A Henckels kitchen knives (At home in the kitchen- where the paper, tape, foil, and meat grinder are...) to acually butcher the parts into cuts of meat...
I think whatever you use, the key is a sharp blade! What system you use it is your choice! I personally like arkansas stones (endin with a black stone) but if'n you don't know how to use em there's so many systems that work as well or better... from gatco's to paper wheels.... tormek, Lansky...etc
I think for the most part its easier to learn and understand how to sharpen a knife and *how* make a knife sharp... doesn't matter what knife you buy, at some point you need to be able to sharpen it...
here's a good website with tons of info with various systems and too much info... Sharpening knives- scroll down and view the chapters... (http://users.ameritech.net/knives/index.htm)
Then, you'll probably be very happy with your buck knife....